Latch and lock mechanism for lockers, etc.



$ 611. 30, 1940. M BURKE 2,188,703

LATCH AND LOCK mpmmsm FOR LOCKERS, ETC

Filed March 14, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I L722 am 2102' Jan. 30, 1940. E. M. BURKE LATCH AND LOCK NECHA NISL"; F121 LOCKERS, ETC

Filed March 14. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patentecl Jan. 30, 1 940 uNirEo "stares LATCH ANDY Loon MECHANISM For.

. LOGKERS, ETC.

. Eth'elyn M. Burke, Fond du Lac, Wis., Application March 14, 1939, Serial anaemic Claims. I (01. 79-82) I My invention relates to improvements in latch and locking mechanisms adaptable to any vertical typehorizontally swinging doors, and especially to doors of sheet metal construction used-in 5 connection with various types of enclosures and cabinets,- such astool cribs, storage rooms, wardrobes and lockers.

' An object of my invention is to provide an improved latch and lock construction for horizon gers operable by said control bar, and means for automatically retaining the control bar in its raised position when the door remains in its open position.

25 A. still further object offthe invention is to provide an improved latch and lock construction for horizontally swinging doors, which will incorporate a Vertically movable latch control bar, a plurality of hinged latch fingers, a trigger 30 for actuating the control bar, means for holding the bar in raised position, means for automatical ly releasing thelatch control bar when the door is being closed, and a plurality of separately conrolled locking means for locking the door in 35 closed position.

' Astill further object of the invention is to provide an improved latch and lock mechanism for horizontally swinging doors which will be highly efficient in operation, and relatively inexpensive 40 to manufacture and produce.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds. I I .In the accompanying drawings which form a part of my application:

45 Figure l is a perspective View of a cabinet per portion of a door equipped with my improvedlatch and lock mechanisms, more especially illustrating the spring latch for holding the 66 vertically movable control bar in raised position;

is a sectional view taken on the line (i -ii of Figure 2; Y I Figure is a sectional view taken on the line di of Figure and Figure 5 is a-partial sectional View of a cabinet wall door, showing the spring latch member and control bar for operating the same.

Like characters of reference are used throughout the following specification and the accompanying drawings to designate correspondin parts. l i

In carrying out my invention, I have illustrated a metal cabinet ihaving a horizontally swinging door 2, hinged thereto by means of the hinges 3.

Supported on the inner surface of thedoor 2, and

adjacent its outer edge, I have provided a plu rality of latch control bar guiding straps 4, in

which the latchcontrol'bar 5 is vertically movable.

The latch control bar 5 isformcd with a plurality of spaced upwardly inclined integrally formed cam surfaces 6, and at its upper end with an opening 1 adapted to receive the latch for holding the control bar in its raised position,

said latch being hereinafter more fully described.

On the lower end of the control bar 5, a flange 8 is bent, and supports, the rubber noise silencing buttons, which makes the operation of the con-- trol bar noiseless when being moved to its lower lnostposition'. A trigger it! is suitably secured to the latch control bar 5 and extends "through a vertical slot M in the forward or front surface of 'the'door 2, and is positionedwithin and adjacent the upper end of the handle l2 secured to the The lower end of the w front of the said door 2. handle it is formed With'a small aperture [3 forming a housing to receive the tenon M which is secured to the control bar 5, and extends through a slot in the door. An opening l5 is formed in theouter end of the tenon l4, and is 40 adapted to receive a pad lock l6, as an auxiliary means to lock the door in closed position.

. The main means for locking the door comprises -any desired form of flat key lock ll secured to the inner surface of the door 5, said lock being 5 provided with a lock bolt i8, which when-projected by means of the key 59, will slide over the embossed lock stop Zlhforming a part of the latch control bar 5.

upon the vertically disposed bearing pins 22, and 55.

at: or iesare constantly urged to their retracted position Within the door by means of the coiled tensioning springs 23 positioned around the pins 22 and contacting the said latches. The latches 2| are substantially U-shape and have their ends bent outwardly to form the cam actuated arms 24 and latch arms 25, respectively.

As will be seen from Figure 4 of the drawings,

I have provided registering slots 26 and 21, re-

spectively, in the edge of the door 2 and in the adjacent side of the cabinet i, so that when the door is closed, the cams 6 will engage the cam.

actuated arms 24, and force the latch arms 25 through the slots 26 and 21, to latch the .door in closed position.

Mounted upon the bracket support 28 on the.

inner and upper surface of the door 2, I have provided the pivoted control bar holding finger 29, the bar engaging end of the finger being normally forced outwardly to engage in the opening 7 formed in the bar 5, due to the action of the tensioning spring 313 placed around the bearing pin 35 upon which the finger is .mounted. A spring tensioned'bumper pin 32 is mounted upon a bracket 33 within the upper end of the cabinet I, and is provided with a rubber head 24, which engages the free end of the finger 29, as the door is of the cabinet is closed, and which automatically releases the finger from the opening 7 in the bar 5, permitting the same to drop downwardly, under the action of gravity, whereupon the cam surfaces 5 will ride upon the cam arms 25 of the latches 2i, and swivel or rotate the same until the latch arms 25 are seated within the slots 26 and 21, whereupon the lock i! may be operated to slide the lock bolt l8 over the lock bolt stop 20, thereby securely locking the door of the cabinet in closed position.

It will be apparent that many minor changes in detail or" construction may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a compartment and I a door hinged thereto, a latch and lock mechanism including a plurality of normally spring retracted rotatable latch bolts carried by the door, a latch bolt control bar slidably mounted on said door, a plurality of cam surfaces on said bar corresponding to the number'of said'latch bolts for camming the latch bolts to operative position, said latch bolts being permitted to swing said bar is raised, and said cam surfaces on said bar positively engaging said latch bolts to swing out of engagement to unlatched position when p them into locked position when said bar is moved to its lowermost position, and handlemeans for raising said bar.

2. The subject matter as claimed inclaim 1,

and means on said door for positively'engaging and supporting the latch control bar in raised position when the door is in opened position.

3. The subject matter as claimed in claim 1.

resilient means on said door for positively en-' gaging and supporting the control her when the door isin opened position, and means on the compartment for releasing the supporting meansj for the control bar as the door is swung into closed position.

4. The subjectmatter as claimed in claim 1; and a key operated lock carried on said door, adapted to lock said latch control bar in its lowermost position. 1 I

5. The subject matter as claimed in claim 1 a key operated lock carried by said door adapted" E'I'l-IELYN M. BURKE. f 

